EVERY week I look forward to receiving the News Shopper. But every week it saddens me to read dreadful stories of the horror which happens at Lewisham Hospital.

Let me relate my experience.

My 10-year-old daughter felt unwell on a Sunday morning during the summer.

I would not wait to take her to the GP, so I went to A&E at Lewisham Hospital.

Within 10 minutes I was seen by the triage nurse, soon after, the first registrar referred us to a second registrar who then took advice from a consultant who, incidentally, was at home!

They concluded that my daughter had suffered from a mild form of epilepsy.

We were told they would find us a bed and a scan arranged for the next day (otherwise if we went home it would be a further six weeks before any scan could be arranged).

All this happened within 90 minutes of arriving at the A&E.

The following day we were squeezed in for a scan and they confirmed she had a brain tumour.

Unfortunately the hospital does not have an MRI scanner on site so it made plans to transfer us to Kings College Hospital the following day.

I am glad to say my daughter was admitted to Kings and had an operation to remove the tumour a day after arriving at Kings.

She is now making a remarkable recovery thanks to all conerned.

My point is that there is so much condemnation for this hospital, no one ever mentions the success stories. And as far as I am concerned - this is a most successful story.

NAME AND

ADDRESS SUPPLIED

December 20, 2001 10:49